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One of the vehicles involved in a double fatality collision on Highway 401 is seen here. Two vehicles were involved in the head-on collision and both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene.
EMILY MOUNTNEY/TRENTONIAN/QMI AGENCY

Jennifer Carter had little time to react. The car was coming straight at her.

At the last second, she swerved to avoid a head on collision on Hwy. 401.

The accident that occurred just second later on the eastbound lanes of Hwy. 401 killed two young women. Both were 23-year-old.

Carter was traveling from Trenton to work in Belleville Monday morning at the same time that a red Hyundai was traveling in the wrong direction on the highway.

"Oh my god, I almost lost my life," she said during a phone interview Monday afternoon from Belleville

"I was driving east, in the fast lanes. All of a sudden the car in front of me swerved."

Carter said she looked over at the car that had swerved out of the way, and when she looked back, a red Hyundai was coming straight towards her.

"I swerved right into the slow lane," she said.

Luckily, there was no one beside her.

Carter said she pulled over and called 911.

Soon after, a women in a Jeep Cherokee pulled up and stopped near her.

"She didn't roll down her window and neither did I, but she mouthed the words "they've crashed," she said.

She looked behind her and saw the collision about 500 meters back, traffic had come to a standstill.

OPP Const. Tammy Coleman said the driver of the red Hyundai, 23-year-old Korin Howes of Belleville, collided with a Nissan Sentra which was being driver by 23-year-old Shaina Harrison of Oshawa.

Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene.

Carter described the collision as "devastating."

"There was nothing I could do."

"You know when people say "you're life flashes before your eyes" well, I didn't even have time for that, everything happened so fast," she said. "I was just to thankful that I have aggressive driving skills, that saved my life."

The eastbound lanes were closed between for several hours while OPP investigated, but were reopened around 4 p.m.

Members of the Quinte West fire department also responded.

Another collision, just east of the fatal collision, also occurred as a result of the red Hyundai heading in the wrong direction.

The driver, Coleman said, swerved out of the way to avoid being hit by the red Hyundai, and collided with the concrete median. That driver was uninjured.

Police have made an appeal for public information to assist in the investigation.

Anyone who has information should contact the Napanee OPP at 1-888-310-1122, or to remain anonymous, and possibly receive a cash reward, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.